A typical electrical connector includes some form of insulating or dielectric housing which mounts a plurality of conductive terminals. The connector is mated to a complementary mating connector or other connecting device which also has terminals for connection to the terminals of the first connector. Often, there is some form of interengaging latching means between the two connectors to hold the connectors in mated condition.
Flexible latching systems of the prior art require an operator to overcome the spring forces required to maintain the latches, such as latch hooks, of the mating connectors together. Often, a pair of flexible latch arms are provided at opposite sides of one of the connectors. A pair of latch actuators are provided and are separate from the connector housing. Other connectors have latch arms which are not part of the interior terminal module. Still other connectors have a pair of interengaging housing or shell halves which are different from each other and which often are fixed together with screws or other extraneous fastening devices. All of these various latching connectors of the prior art have multiple parts which are expensive and which require excessive manufacturing steps. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a very simple latching system for an electrical connector which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.